liveUpdated 9m agoFollow the latest transfer updates as the start of the season approaches.The Athletic Live TeamAugust 21, 2026 at 10:10 AM EDTEngland and Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is wanted by Al Hilal. Getty ImagesSKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementOllie Watkins pushing for Al Hilal transfer Getty ImagesHere's a big one to share with you as David Ornstein and Jacob Tanswell report that Aston Villa have rejected a fresh bid from Al Hilal for Ollie Watkins, who is pushing for a move to the Saudi Pro League club.Al Hilal’s fourth and most recent offer for the striker was worth around £45million ($61.4m).Watkins, 30, has made it clear to Villa that he wants to make the move, and manager Unai Emery admitted on Friday that the club has “an issue” with the England international.Mukasa joins West Ham on loan Getty ImagesWest Ham have signed Manchester City forward Divine Mukasa on a season long loan.The 18-year-old spent time with West Ham's academy from the age six until signing for City in 2023.Mukasa spent the second half of last season on loan with Leicester City in the Championship. Leeds to sign young prospect Hodja Getty ImagesLeeds United are confident of bolstering their youth ranks with the acquisition of 6ft 4ins (193cm) North Macedonian striker Ditmir Hodja.The 18-year-old has been earmarked to play with the under-21s initially as United monitor his progress.Hodja was a free agent after departing Rabotnicki Skopje and will sign terms after a successful trial with the club.Omar Richards leaving Forest for Greek side Aris Getty ImagesOmar Richards is leaving Nottingham Forest without ever playing a first-team game for the club, four years after signing in a £7.3million switch from Bayern Munich.The defender is joining Greek Super League side Aris on a permanent deal.Richards, 28, was the fifth signing made by Forest following their promotion back into the Premier League in 2022.At the time, he was regarded as one of the best young players to have come through the ranks in English football, having established a bright reputation at Reading.But he suffered pain in his first training session with Forest and a small lump in his leg was subsequently diagnosed as a hairline fracture.Richards has since had loan spells at both of Forest’s sister clubs, Olympiacos and Rio Ave (twice).The Englishman was involved in pre-season training under Oliver Glasner but will now return to Greece, where he will hope to revive his career.Barcelona in talks to sign Livakovic Getty ImagesBarcelona are in advanced talks to sign goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic from Fenerbahçe. The Catalans would pay an initial fee of around €2m for the Croatian international, although he will not join Flick’s team this summer.Barça plan to loan the 31-year-old out this season and then have him back in the summer of 2027. He would then serve as Joan Garcia’s back-up, replacing Wojciech Szczesny in the role. Szczesny is now entering the final year of his contract with the club and is expected to leave next summer.This an unexpected move by Barça, but it ensures the goalkeeping situation is secure for the foreseeable future. Garcia will undoubtedly remain Flick’s first-choice goalkeeper, while Ter Stegen can't be expected to be considered for the first team. The German will spend this season on loan at Ajax.SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementDisasi is a signing that makes sense for Palace Getty ImagesAxel Disasi is not a perfect fit for Crystal Palace's proposed way of playing, as new manager Pierre Sage intends to play a higher line.But they desperately need another centre-back and Disasi would bring leadership that Sage says is the key thing missing from his defence after the sale of Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea.As a straight loan, it would allow Palace breathing space to explore other permanent solutions at the back for next summer and allow them to spend money on other positions.Palace will hope Disasi can pick up where he left off after a good spell with West Ham in the second half of last season.It would be another step closer to the depth required for them to compete adequately across both the Premier League and Europa League this season.Crystal Palace close to loan deal for Chelsea’s Axel Disasi Getty ImagesCrystal Palace are close to signing defender Axel Disasi on loan from Chelsea.The loan deal will not include an option or obligation for Palace to buy the 28-year-old, as reported by Simon Johnson and Matt Woosnam.Palace manager Pierre Sage spoke on Thursday about the need for defensive reinforcements, while The Athletic has previously reported Palace’s interest in Disasi. Palace and Chelsea have already done business this summer with fellow centre-back Maxence Lacroix joining the Stamford Bridge side for £52million ($69.2m).Manchester City's transfers and why more needs to be done Getty ImagesThe only senior player to be signed by Manchester City is Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116million ($153m). It is a major piece of business and there are high hopes for what the 23-year-old England midfielder can achieve. But a lot more needs to be done.City have to strengthen the midfield after the departure of Rodri to Barcelona, Tijjani Reijnders to Al Qadsiah, and Bernardo Silva to Real Madrid.With Nico Gonzalez, Savinho and Omar Marmoush also possibly leaving, they are working on a late-window squad overhaul.Ayyoub Bouaddi, the 18-year-old who impressed in Morocco’s midfield at the World Cup, has been a target all window. Enzo Fernandez is another target, although Chelsea are playing hardball over the Argentina midfielder and City did not want to match their £120million asking price, which may now have increased.Enzo Maresca is very keen to reunite with Fernandez, who wants to leave Chelsea, but there is a long way to go.And, yesterday, The Athletic reported that City had made enquiries to Crystal Palace over Adam Wharton, but were informed the 22-year-old midfielder is not for sale this summer.Why Manchester City want to sign Adam Wharton Getty ImagesFrom Crystal Palace, the message has been clear: Adam Wharton is not for sale. That was after Manchester City enquired about signing the Palace midfielder, who has established himself as one of the Premier League's finest talents on the ball in recent seasons. But what exactly does Wharton do so well? From his vision to his passing ability to his knack for driving teams forward, Stuart James and Thom Harris look at what makes the 22-year-old so desirable for a team like City. Read about it here. Mourinho: Signing Rodri would have been ‘cherry on top’ Getty ImagesJose Mourinho spoke to reporters today for the first time since returning as Real Madrid manager. He was asked about missing out on signing midfielder Rodri, who has instead moved to Barcelona ahead of the new season. 💬 “I don’t think we have a deficit. Then you can ask the question, ‘If you don’t have a deficit, why did you want to sign Rodri?’“He would have been the cherry on top, he’s a great player, he’s a player with great experience, with great status, if we could have had him, we would have had him and we would have improved. “But when you have (Aurelien) Tchouameni, (Eduardo) Camavinga, (Federico) Valverde, Bernardo, Arda (Guler) … it’s not that we have a problem or that we need to go for another player.”SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementNew Aaronson contract a lesson in persistence Getty ImagesWhen Aaronson left Leeds in 2023 after relegation, escaping for Berlin and the Bundesliga while everyone in Leeds faced the Championship, you would have been forgiven for writing the American off.He had been poor in that first year in England, and it added insult to injury when he ran away from the outcome. However, unlike many of those who left on loan, he did come back, and he did face the music.Slowly, but surely, he turned the tide. Even in the Premier League, after promotion, Farke’s consistent selection of Aaronson through October and November defined the acrimony which began to grow on the terraces as results nosedived. The attacker was eventually taken out of the firing line, but returned to the team and memorably scored an exceptional brace at Newcastle United in January.His form did ultimately tail off again and left Leeds with a decision to make this summer. With his prior deal expiring in June 2027, they had to sell or renew this summer. They have chosen the latter, and they clearly see further potential in the 25-year-old.Leeds getting business done this summer Getty ImagesAs well as our reports of Leeds' interest in Eintracht Frankfurt's Zetterer, they have also wrapped up important contract renewals for Brenden Aaronson and Jayden Bogle in the past 24 hours. Aaronson, 25, has signed new terms until 2029, which underline his rising status at Elland Road under Daniel Farke. The USMNT player has not always been popular with fans at Elland Road but his rise from outcast to Premier League regular is a lesson in a player sticking around and proving their worth when things are against them. The news followed announcements of new deals for team-mates Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon and Jayden Bogle this summer.Arsenal agree deal for teenage Blackburn forward Tyjon Getty ImagesArsenal have agreed a deal with Blackburn Rovers to sign youth forward Igor Tyjon.The Premier League champions have pursued the 18-year-old for several windows. The Athletic reported on Tuesday that the England Under-18 international had declined to sign a professional contract with Rovers, who instead extended his scholarship agreement into a third year. Arsenal have made several bids for Tyjon, but Blackburn have been unwilling to sell, which led to a standoff. However, the two sides have now reached an agreement and the teenager is set to undergo a medical today (August 21) before completing the transfer.How would Zetterer fit in at Leeds? Getty ImagesZetterer is a stable, highly experienced goalkeeper.He was signed by Eintracht Frankfurt a year ago as a deputy to Kaua Santos, a precocious young Brazilian goalkeeper with enormous talent. A succession of difficult moments saw Santos lose confidence, however, and Zetterer ultimately ended the season as first choice and a safe pair of hands.Zetterer has overcome a lot in his career. Serious hand and wrist injuries early in his career at Werder Bremen cost him almost two years of football, but he recovered in the years since. Technically, he’s the typical modern goalkeeper: he’s not the tallest or the most physically imposing, but he’s good with his feet, quick off his line, and equipped with a fine set of reflexes.Leeds close in on Zetterer deal Getty ImagesIn case you missed this one yesterday, Leeds United are continuing their efforts to bolster their squad for the new Premier League season and are close to agreeing a move for Eintracht Frankfurt their goalkeeper Michael Zetterer.Zetterer, 31, would be United’s back-up stopper if the two clubs can find an agreement. Sources at Elland Road, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, expect Frankfurt would need to secure a new goalkeeper of their own before sanctioning the German’s departure. Leeds signed James Trafford from Manchester City to be their new first-choice goalkeeper earlier in the window. SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementDone deal: Aston Villa announce loan deal for Wan-Bissaka Getty ImagesAston Villa have announced the signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka on loan from West Ham United.The agreement is for a season-long loan deal with the option to buy which becomes an obligation if a number of conditions are met over the course of the campaign.The Athletic reported on July 7 that West Ham would be open to selling Wan-Bissaka this summer, and valued the former Manchester United defender at £25million ($33.5m).Villa had been exploring a deal for Wan-Bissaka, 28, in recent weeks, with manager Emery keen to strengthen at right-back and provide competition for first choice Matty Cash.Konsa deal shows Arsenal’s title ambitions are clear Getty ImagesArsenal’s summer-long interest in Konsa after William Saliba’s back injury was a sign of Mikel Arteta’s desire to be well stacked with quality options across the pitch throughout the course of the 2026-27 season.The Arsenal manager could have used Cristhian Mosquera and Ben White as covering centre-backs in Saliba’s absence, but Jurrien Timber not yet returning from his groin injury may have made the backline a more pressing issue.Reports of Arsenal’s interest in Konsa were met with debate as to whether a 28-year-old centre-back would be necessary at a relatively high price point.To push forward with the deal may give an indication of how seriously Arteta is taking Arsenal’s title defence. Rather than looking at a younger profile, he is going after yet another experienced Premier League player who should have few issues plugging into his system.Done deal: Konsa completes £51m move to Arsenal Getty ImagesAnother one that we can file under done deals — Ezri Konsa has signed on the dotted line to complete his move from Aston Villa to Arsenal.It has been a summer of sales at Villa Park and this one will bring a further £51million plus £4m in potential add-ons.The England international has signed a four-year contract with the option of a further year, having undergone a medical with the north London club.Konsa has made 286 appearances for Villa since joining from Brentford in 2019. Spurs have long-running Savinho interest Getty ImagesGetting this deal agreed brings to a close a long pursuit by Spurs in Savinho.Last summer they discussed a package worth in the region of €50million (£43.3m, $58.2m) with City, who did not want to sell the winger and subsequently tied him down to a new contract in October until 2031. But, sure enough, they came back for him again in this window as they look to bolster their front line in the wake of a difficult season last year.The 22-year-old has made 53 appearances for City, scoring twice and providing 12 assists, though he made just seven Premier League starts last season under Pep Guardiola.